In the manufacturing of electronic displays, it is sometimes necessary to bond glass components to one another. The bonded glass components may be used in the formation of LCD stack, glass front plates, or other glass features found in electronic displays. Generally, glass components are bonded using an optical adhesive interposed between the glass components. This bonding process is time consuming and subject to problems resulting in a display unfit for consumer use.
One such problem is the formation of air bubbles in the optical adhesive. As the optical adhesive is interposed between two glass components, the display is ruined. If air bubbles are formed the only options left to manufactures are either dispose of the ruined bonded glass components, or spend a large amount of time manually removing the optical adhesive from the glass components. This problem is only magnified as the size of LCD displays increase necessitating the need for larger more expensive glass components.
Another problem that occurs during the bonding process is known as the halo effect or window framing. The halo effect may be caused by using an insufficient amount of optical adhesive to maintain glass component coverage during the curing phase. As the optical adhesive cures and experience shrinking, the optical adhesive may pull away from the edges of the bonded glass components again ruining the bonded glass components and rendering the display unfit for consumer use.
Mechanical separation may also be a problem if the optical adhesive is not in sufficient amounts at the edges of the glass components. A lack of bonding material at the edge of the glass components may cause the bonded glass components to begin to separate ruining the display. This problem occurs in application such as laptops where the lid containing the LCD display is opened and closed regularly.
Another problem that may be a result of the bonding process is the formation of voids starting at the edge of the glass components. The voids develop over time through expansion and contraction cycles. The formation of voids may be accelerated in LCD displays used outdoors or other locations experiencing large temperature variations. Again as with the other possible defects listed above, the voids ruin a display.
These and other problems may be avoided by the method described and shown herein. In one exemplary embodiment of bonding glass components, a first glass component having a frame is provided, the frame being in contact with the first glass component. A sealant is used to seal the edge of the frame and the first glass component. This sealant is allowed to cure. A barrier coat is applied over the sealant. The barrier coat is allowed to cure. An adhesive is poured over the entirety on the first glass component and frame. A second glass component is placed on the frame with one end still elevated over the first glass component. The second glass component is slowly lowered till the previously elevated edge rests on the frame, resulting in an adhesive layer interposed between the second glass layer and the first glass layer and the frame.
In another exemplary embodiment, the barrier coat step is removed and the adhesive is poured directly onto the first glass component, sealant, and the frame. In still another exemplary embodiment, an edge of the second glass component is placed at the intersection of the first glass component and the frame, still having an edge elevated above the first glass component. The second glass component is slowly lowered till the previously elevated edge rests at the intersection of the first glass component and the frame, resulting in an adhesive layer interposed between the second glass layer and the first glass layer.